At 10:01 PM -0500 10/4/96, Russ Patrick Reeves wrote:
>B-Greek List:
>
>I hope this hasn't been discussed to death already. Is it possible for a
>neuter demonstrative pronoun to refer back to a feminine noun? Speficially,
>of course, I have the Eph. 2:8-9 in mind, and whether TOUTO refers back to
>PISTEWS (and if not, then what is the reference?) Other examples (if this
>is possible) would be greatly appreciated.

While I can think of or find no other examples of this in the NT, I would
understand this TOUTO as referring back to the preceding clause, THi GAR
XARITI SESWiSMENOI ESTE, and picking it up as the subject of OUK (ESTIN) EX
hUMWN: i.e.: "This (the fact that you have been saved) (is) not from you,
(it is) a gift of God.

Wallace (_Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics_, an impressive work in many
ways, although I'm hesitant about his own multiplication of syntactical
categories and readiness to create new terminology) has a nice discussion
of alternative understandings of this passage (pp. 334-5, under the heading
"Debatable Example"), and I note that this is the alternative he prefers
also. There's no way that the TOUTO can refer back to PISTEWS, at least not
in erms of grammatical logic.